The New Polaroid I-2 Camera: Getting Creative with Filters and Multi-Exposures by Julia Beyer » Shoot It With Film (2024)

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Written byJulia Beyer

Some of you might still remember the quirky first iteration of the iType instant camera, the I-1 – back then released by The Impossible Project in 2016 as their first native camera since Polaroid’s demise in 2008 (and before they came back as Polaroid in 2017).

Firstly (and luckily!), the newly released follow-up Polaroid I-2 camera is nothing like its predecessor, yet in this article you won’t find a general review of the camera (but keep an eye on SIWF for that in a couple of weeks), but rather me focusing on few special elements: the 49mm filter thread and its multiple exposure capabilities.

Besides a vast number of other features that the camera sports, the 49mm filter thread in front of the lens might be among the most exciting additions for the creative Polaroid photographer, as is the multi-exposure mode. So I certainly had to put these features to the test extensively during my first shoot with it.

Find the Polaroid I-2 on Amazon or at B&H Photo.

Using Filters with the Polaroid I-2

I often use creative photography filters in my work, and one of the advantages of the 49mm filter thread is that there is an innumerable variety of filters with this standard size available on eBay or from specialty filter manufacturers, including the option to use a step-up ring, so the possibilities to play around with their effects are practically endless.

As the light sensor of the Polaroid I-2 sits behind the filter thread, the exposure reading will still be accurate even with the use of darker colored filters. These would usually affect metering and call for exposure compensation with the old Polaroid models, where the light sensor is placed beside the lens.

Although one big concern I had when I learned that the Polaroid I-2 will not be an SLR was for sure losing the ability to actually see how the filter will alter the outcome through the viewfinder. As written in my former article here about filter use with Polaroids, one of my top tips to shoot with filters was to use an SLR, so I was very skeptical. But even as a heavy filter user myself, I found that disadvantage to be negligible, as the comfort of screwing them directly onto the camera instead of having to use them handheld outweighs this at least for me.

I also love to combine filters, so I stacked a green-yellow filter with a 3-split filter, or a Spectralstar filter with a 3-split filter, which lead to the most wild and psychedelic, but intriguing, results on some shots.

To specifically achieve the rainbowy effect, you may want to use a Spectralstar (sometimes also called Pulsator), Andromeda or Nebula spectral filter (find on eBay). Whereas the Spectralstar filter rainbow effect spreads out star-like, the Andromeda filter just produces one line of a rainbow while the Nebula filter creates a rainbow circle around your subject.

Rainbow Effects on the I-2

There is one thing in particular that I would like to add regarding the rainbow effect, although this is a very subjective observation.

When looking for inspiration for my photo shoots, I often go to Pinterest and create a moodboard to define the atmosphere, look, or poses I want to go for. I came across one specific image that showed a portrait with a very chromatic, rainbow-like effect.

I tried to recreate this effect with a multitude of filters from standard prisms to spectral filters in previous shoots with other Polaroid cameras, but although the effect was sometimes quite visible through the viewfinder of my old Polaroid SLRs, it never transferred to the final image as much.

So the surprise was huge when I nevertheless slapped on my beloved Spectralstar filter to the Polaroid I-2 and saw the results with it after the shots developed: The rainbows were there in their full glory!

Also prism effects seem to look finer, more pronounced and less washed out when using the I-2 compared to a Polaroid SLR. I attribute this significant difference in results strongly to the overall greater sharpness of the I-2 lens that clearly outperforms the Polaroid SX-70 or SLR680 in this area.

Another thing I learned when using spectral filters is that while you can point the camera directly at the sun for some backlit image with a SX-70 or SLR680, it’s not recommended to do that with the I-2 and such filters, as the image then tends to overblow or gets overpowered with the effect, so using them with the light source behind you and a darker background will get you the best visible results.

But to be honest, I feel like I am only at the beginning of this specific journey with the I-2 and there is still much, much more filter madness for me to explore. I am, for example, looking forward to trying out crazy double exposures with a dual image filter, or using various other color filters combined with prisms.

Polaroid I-2’s Multiple Exposure Setting

Speaking of the Multi-Exposure mode of the Polaroid I-2, it is possible to take up to four exposures in one shot while the camera adjusts the exposure automatically to not overexpose it. Slight additional manual correction via the exposure wheel is nevertheless recommended.

While multi-exposures are usually not my go-to style, the possibility to quickly change to that mode on the camera itself and not via an app or another workaround anymore makes it much more accessible, so that I will surely make use of this more often in the future.

Playing around with this mode and going all the way up to four exposures definitely was a lot of fun and led to some interesting results!

All in all, the filter thread and multi-exposure mode, although they seem like minor additions on this feature-packed camera, are so much fun to explore, and the incredible sharpness of the Polaroid I-2 lens enhances the filter effects even more.

So go ahead and stack on those filters and exposures!

Thank you so much, Julia! You can find more of Julia’s work on herwebsiteandInstagram.

Leave your questions about using lens filters and the multiple exposure feature with the Polaroid I-2 below in the comments! You can also pick up the Polaroid I-2 for yourself at Polaroid I-2 on Amazon or B&H Photo.